65. Recycling realities in the Global South, with Esther Carter from Delterra
With over 17,000 islands, 34,000 miles of coastline, and limited formal waste management, Indonesia faces an immense waste challenge, one that’s compounded by imports of foreign waste from countries like the UK. This week’s guest, Esther Carter (recently named #1 on the Resource Hot 100), shares insights from her time living and working in Indonesia, offering a first-hand perspective on how the crisis unfolds on the ground. In this wide-ranging conversation, we dig into the realities of waste management across the archipelago, the social and environmental impacts of global waste trade, and explore what meaningful solutions could look like for Indonesia’s future.
With over 17,000 islands, 34,000 miles of coastline, and limited formal waste management, Indonesia faces an immense waste challenge, one that’s compounded by imports of foreign waste from countries like the UK. This week’s guest, Esther Carter (recently named #1 on the Resource Hot 100), shares insights from her time living and working in Indonesia, offering a first-hand perspective on how the crisis unfolds on the ground. In this wide-ranging conversation, we dig into the realities of waste management across the archipelago, the social and environmental impacts of global waste trade, and explore what meaningful solutions could look like for Indonesia’s future.
Join hosts James Piper and Robbie Staniforth as they delve into the world of recycling, hopefully having fun along the way. One thing is for sure, they will talk absolute rubbish from start to finish.
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Esther Carter
Chief Strategy Officer
Esther is a sustainability leader with expertise in driving systems change across the packaging, recycling, and consumer goods sectors. She is currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer for PackUK, working with DEFRA and across the UK 4 nations to deliver an impactful Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, to increase the circularity of packaging and reduce waste.
Prior to this role, Esther served as Global Director at environmental non-profit Delterra, leading their flagship “Rethinking Recycling” programme in Latin America and South East Asia. In this role, she led global, multi-disciplinary teams and worked in close partnership with governments, local authorities, multinational brands and intergovernmental organizations to build more effective and inclusive waste systems.
She was previously a Senior Manager at McKinsey & Company and also held analytical roles at Tesco and with P&G, giving her a strong foundation in data-driven decision-making, and first-hand experience inside the retail and FMCG value chain.
Esther is a qualified Leadership Coach and holds a degree in Geography and Environmental Sciences from the University of Oxford. She lives in the South West of the UK with her husband and in her spare time enjoys being active and exploring the outdoors.
